Savannah Century Labor Day weekend

[cyclingmom01]

This is my 1st Century and I'm so very excited. I'll get out this weekend and do a metric on Sunday and a 30+ miler on Saturday. I need to practice my fuel intake. Planning on taking it slow and would love to hook up with someone that might be willing to take me under their wing for a few miles.
This route is pancake flat and I am riding a lot of hills now averaging 15+mph.
I am an injured marathon runner and although the sport is different, I think I'm accustomed to the mental aspect of endurance sports.

[Bad JuJu]

Hey, I just saw this and wanted to wish you luck. I don't live in your area but have visited Savannah and Beaufort a few times--seems like a nice area for riding. Have fun and ride your own ride!

[aicabsolut]

Hey cyclingmom, I'm from the area but I don't live there now (or else I'd do the ride with you!). Are you down there now or just going for labor day?

If you want to get to know some very friendly and very helpful experienced cyclists, show up for one of the weekend rides from the Gallery Espresso coffee shop downtown (Bull St). 8am on Sat, 9am on Sun. The ride, especially on Sat, will usually be pretty big, and it'll break off into different pace groups, sometimes with different distance options.

It sounds like you're pretty strong holding that pace on hilly rides, but I'll warn you from my experience going home to train for a while this summer that the flat roads are more challenging than you think. It's mainly because you never get to rest as there are no descents. So you might be able to hang just fine with a 20mph pace group for a long time, but be careful. I think it's a great idea to use the century as practice on fueling. In the heat and humidity plus no rest, it is pretty crucial to keep the calories and fluids coming.

You can also get some tips and introduce yourself to some of the local crowd by stopping by the Quality Bike Shop on Montgomery Crossroads or the Bicycle Link downtown on MLK.

I was really challenging myself with the pace groups and ride distances when I was down there last, and if I started having problems like cramping because I had trouble eating and drinking enough at 26mph, some of the older guys were so nice to me. They were also always giving me training tips and tips on my position. I learned a lot.

Some of those guys are hard core, and I'm not sure how many of them do more social centuries (a lot of them are racers), but they can definitely help you out if you talk about your needs and goals.

[cyclingmom01]

I am actually from outside of Athens, GA. A bedroom community, if you will. I know exactly where the coffee shop is and have been there many times. My daughter has her first football game on friday night. She plays the flute in the marching band. Our plan is to get on the road super early and get to Savannah by 10 am on Saturday. I will ride on Sunday. Eating at The Pirate's House on Saturday night because my 9 y/o son swears that it's haunted. Will get out to Tybee for a short romp in the water. My daughter wants to cruise the water front shops. They will do some of that stuff while I'm pedaling my heart out. I'm sure my family will meet me out on the road at some point for pictures and support. They're awesome as they've trekked along for many a marathon and seem to manage quite well.

[aicabsolut]

Enjoy your weekend!
PM me if you want a short route to do on Saturday to get your legs moving. I don't recommend trying to ride out on Tybee. There are some short out and back rides from downtown, and you could always go down to the Army air field and do some easy laps. I can send you a link to the usual saturday morning loop. Some of those roads are (I think) on the longer bikefest routes.

Might be good to pop into a shop to see if anyone is going to participate. There are a lot of tri people in the area, who you might be able to relate to well from your marathon days.

At least you're used to the heat and humidity, but be careful out there. At some of the recent training races, people have been having problems with dehydration and heat exhaustion.

Tell me how the Talmadge Bridge goes. I've never trained over it because I've been terrified of getting run over or getting flats at inopportune moments.

[cyclingmom01]

aicabsolut,
If you wouldn't mind sending me some of the shorter routes, that would be awesome. I'm not sure that I'll have time to get out on Saturday as we probably won't arrive until 11 and my family is coming with me. I don't want to push my luck.